


Witness Protection

by LilacMoon83



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: David and Mary Margaret, Detective Nolan, Detective Rogers, F/M, Hyperion Heights, Leopold is evil, Modern AU, On the Run, Roni - Freeform, Snowing - Freeform, Storybrooke, True Love, Weaver - Freeform, eventual pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-05-31 12:40:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15119606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacMoon83/pseuds/LilacMoon83
Summary: Prompt from Loboselinaistrash. She requested a pregnancy fic for Snowing.When Mary Margaret Blanchard walks in on a murder ordered by her father, she runs to the police. Captain Weaver put his two best detectives on the case, Rogers and Nolan. But Leopold is a powerful man and the evidence is destroyed. With her father after her, Mary goes into witness protection with Detective Nolan. It's his job to protect her, but will it become more?Snowing Modern AU - David and Mary Margaret. Featuring Rogers, Weaver, and RoniI will take prompts for this new verse too, though this one can be standalone as well. Enjoy and please consider leaving a review or prompt!This one is also Anti-Leopold.





	1. Chapter 1

Witness Protection

Storybrooke. Like any small town in America really, they supposed. It would do for what they needed. They could and would have a good life here. The likelihood of being found here was minimal, but they would be ready at a moment's notice to run if they had to. They had spent their entire relationship so far being on the run, but they would do anything to be together. What they had...it was love and it was by no means easy, but they knew it was worth fighting for. They would never stop fighting for each other and if that meant running from her evil father for the rest of their lives, then it was exactly what they would do. It would get even harder in just a few months, due to her condition and the fact that there would soon be three of them, but nothing would stop them from being a family. Not even the powerful Leopold Blanchard.

"Do you think he'll find us here?" she asked, as he held her hand in his own.

"Maybe, but I don't care. He can't hurt us...he won't take you from me," he replied.

"Here it can just be us...and our baby," he added, as he put his hand on the swell of her stomach. She smiled, as he leaned in and kissed her tenderly. He put his arm around her and kissed her hair affectionately, as they slowly drove into this new town that would now be their home, never mind that they had already found home in each other. She twirled the ring on her finger and glanced over at him. Husband looked really good on him and she found herself wondering what father would look like on him. She grinned at that thought. Somehow she knew it would look just as good on him as husband did, if not better.

~*~

Two Years Ago

Seattle

Twenty-Two year old Mary Margaret Blanchard stood in the police station, still shellshocked at everything had occurred that evening. It was supposed to be a wonderful evening. Her father was throwing her a graduation party that night, as she had completed her education degree. He had always adored her and doted upon her, but as she grew up, she came to realize that he was not a good man. He was powerful and had many business dealings, some she often suspected were illegal. She didn't know exactly the things he was involved in and didn't want to know. She had stuck her head in the sand and forged on like nothing was wrong.

As she grew into her teens, she started to notice her father's eyes linger on her more and how he told her almost daily that she looked so much like her mother. His gazes became predatory, but still she had ignored all the warning signs. He was her father, after all.

Then there had been his rules. Mary was not allowed to date and she had thought he was just being an overprotective father, but when she defied him and went on a date with a young med student, he had shown up at the restaurant. He dragged her away that night and his bodyguards put the fear in her date that assured Mary would never hear from him again.

But nothing could prepare for what she walked in on his her childhood home that very night. She had arrived home early, which she didn't think anything of. It's not like the party was a surprise or anything. She would never get that image out of her head, as she watched one of her father's men put a bullet in a man that was on his knees, clearly begging for his life.

As the body fell to the floor with a thud, her father and his men stared at her and Leopold was quick to snap his fingers.

"Close the door," he ordered, as one of his bodyguards did as he requested.

"Mary, my dear...what are you doing here?" he questioned.

"This...this is my home," she stammered, as her eyes were still locked on the body.

"You are early...the party is not for a few more hours," he chided. She looked at him in disbelief. He had just ordered the murder of someone and watched them die. And now he was talking about parties?

"Father...what have you done?" she blurted out. But he put his hands on her arms, which made her skin crawl.

"He was a very bad man, my daughter," he admonished. But Mary was already screaming inside her own head, as he led her up to her bedroom.

"Don't worry...all traces of him will be gone before your party. Perhaps you'd like to relax in a bath before your guests arrive," he leered and she jumped, as his hands went to her waist. And what she saw in his eyes when she turned was a lustful stare that frightened her to her very core.

"Don't touch me…" she blurted out.

"You are my daughter, Mary. I must make sure you are okay after what you walked in on," he said, as he kept advancing, while she kept backing away.

"No...you want to make sure I don't tell anyone you just murdered someone! And you want to do things to me that a father should never do to his daughter," she spat.

"Mary...you belong by my side, just as your mother did. Is it so wrong for a father to love his daughter so much as I do?" he questioned.

"Yes!" she said hotly.

"Fathers are not supposed to love their daughters this way," she protested.

"I am Leopold Blanchard, practically King of Seattle. You know that no one tells me no…" he warned, as she kept backing away.

"I always have what I want," he added and in a moment of pure clarity, she stopped seeing her father and saw a monster instead. It would be the thing that saved her that night, as she picked up a lamp and broke it over his head.

She ran then, even as her father's men chased her. She finally lost them in Hyperion Heights. It wasn't the best neighborhood, but Mary frequented a bar there where she had made friends with the owner.

"Mary?" Roni asked, as the young woman tumbled into her establishment. She was disheveled and her eyes were haunted, with tears pouring from them.

"Roni...help me…" she sobbed. The woman behind the bar stopped cleaning her glassware and rushed over to take the girl in her arms.

"What happened?" she questioned and with that, Mary blurted out everything that had just happened.

~*~

That was how she ended up in the Hyperion Heights precinct with Roni beside her. Captain Weaver gazed at her with scrutiny and she honestly had no idea what he found so interesting about her. But he seemed to look at everyone like that.

"We canvassed the whole bloody neighborhood. He's nowhere to be found," another detective said, as he entered the interrogation room.

"The body and any sign of the mess is gone too," another detective added. She looked up and her eyes managed to lock with his.

"So that's it...no body, no evidence...you can't arrest him," she realized.

"We can, but without a body, I'm not sure I can get the charges to stick...even if you were to testify," Weaver replied. She opened her mouth to respond, but surprisingly, it was the blonde detective that beat her to it.

"What? There was just a murder and that's it? We drop it?" he exclaimed.

"Mate…" his partner admonished.

"Don't mate me, Rogers! I may be a rookie...but this is wrong! She saw someone killed! Her own father tried to…" he trailed off, realizing that she was staring at him, like she was surprised he cared.

"I understand your frustration, Nolan. But this is Leopold Blanchard we're talking about. I bring these charges to a judge without a body and his legal team will laugh us right out of the courthouse," Weaver seethed, liking it no better than his young detectives.

"So...because he's some rich dickhead that practically owns the city, we're screwed?" the blonde growled.

"Yes…" Mary realized and everyone looked at her.

"He told me himself. He's practically a King in this city. He can do whatever he wants," she said brokenly.

"What about Mary?" Roni asked.

"I mean...that asshole tried to, well, you know…" Roni added.

"Yes...you are still in a lot of danger, Miss Blanchard. If your father gets his hands on you again, I daresay he'll either kill you for knowing too much or worse things I'm sure none of us want to think about," Weaver said bluntly. She swallowed thickly at that.

"Then what do you suggest?" she asked.

"You are definitely the key to bringing down your father and luckily, I'm going to put my two best detectives on it," Weaver replied.

"While Rogers is investigating him and trying to turn up a body...Nolan will be moving you into witness protection," he said. She looked at Nolan and then back at Weaver.

"So I'm getting a babysitter," she realized.

"I'm not a babysitter," he snapped in return, as they stared at each other.

"I have a safehouse in Portland. You both leave tonight," Weaver said.

~*~

There was a hug shared between Roni and Mary, while Rogers talked intensely with Nolan. The younger detective was taking it all in from his more experienced partner and soon, they were in the beat up old truck together.

"Is there a reason we're taking this clunker to Portland?" she questioned. He smirked.

"It's inconspicuous. No one is going to suspect a runaway Princess to be seen riding in something like this," he responded. She frowned.

"I'm not a Princess…" she protested. He shrugged.

"No offense, but you might as well be," he replied. She looked over at him, watching him, as he merged onto the interstate.

"So...do I call you Nolan?" she asked. He chuckled.

"That's my last name…" he replied. She rolled her eyes.

"I figured that," she said. He smiled.

"David…you can call me David," he replied, with a charming smile. She hummed at that and gazed out the window, as the scenery passed them by.

"So...you pretty much seem to know about me. Most people think they do since my father is who he is. But what about you?" she asked curiously. He shrugged.

"There's not much to tell. I grew up on a farm upstate with my mother. Father died when I was six. We were poor, but we got along well enough," he replied.

"I'm sorry...about your father," she said with genuine sympathy. But he only shrugged.

"Don't be...he was a drunk. We were probably better off," he said with a touch of bitterness.

"My mother died when I was ten...father changed a lot after that. Or at least, it seemed like he did. I don't know, maybe he was always a monster," she muttered sadly. He looked at her out of the corner of his eyes and carefully reached over to squeeze her hand. She looked down and then up at him, seeing the sincerity in his eyes, even from the profile view that she had.

"Whatever he's done or who he is...that's not on you. Once Rogers finds the body and he will, you can be free of him. We'll lock him up where he can't hurt you," he promised.

"Well, aren't you the optimist," she teased. He smirked.

"I prefer to call it faith," he responded.

"Faith?" she asked. He nodded.

"Faith that good will win...that love is more powerful than evil," he replied.

"That would be wonderful to believe that...but I'm not sure I can. I'm not sure good wins. I'm not sure love even exists...I think it's all arrangements and business transactions," she confessed. He looked at her and swallowed a response. He wanted to protest that, but realized that she was only going by her experience. That made him sad and he found himself wanting to prove her wrong. Maybe he could, though he could not realize just how much he would prove her wrong in that moment. Neither of them could imagine what the path they were now on would lead to.

~*~

Six months. Six months since they had come to Portland and began living or rather hiding out in the small cabin on the outskirts of the city. She didn't mind though. They had developed something of an amiable friendship and she found herself actually enjoying a quiet life. Things back home were intense, for her father had gone on national television to tell everyone that his darling daughter was missing and actually had the gall to plead with people to search for her and return her to him. The rumors about the real reason she had run swirled too and it was no secret that Leopold Blanchard was under investigation for a slew of crimes. But he was Leopold Blanchard and no one expected anything to come of Captain Weaver's investigation.

No, Mary had no desire to ever return to Seattle. She missed her friend Roni, but she did not miss her life under her father's thumb. She wanted a new life and she had come to realize that she could not see a new life that didn't have David in it.

It could never happen, of course. Even if she was dumb enough to fall for the detective that was protecting her, she knew it was unlikely that he felt the same. He was just doing his job, after all.

She looked over at him across the table and resisted the urge to snicker. He had a terrible poker face. He wore his emotions on his sleeve, after all, and that was true in poker as well. She could tell he had a good hand this time though. It was practically bursting from him.

"Call," he said smugly, as he put his cards down.

"Four Kings...there's no way you can beat that," he said, as he started sweeping the pile in the center of the table, which mostly consisted of skittles, tootsie rolls, spare change and gummy worms.

"Not so fast there, handsome," she said, as she revealed her cards. The look of shock on his face was entertaining.

"What...how?" he asked in disbelief.

"Royal flush...guess I'm just lucky," she replied, as she swept her winnings to her side and bit into one of the gummy worms.

"Better luck next hand," she said, as she started to shuffle. He shook his head.

"I don't even want to think about how much money I'd owe you if we were playing for real cash," he replied. She smirked.

"Yeah...I would definitely own your ass," she said bluntly and the look on his face clearly said that he would probably enjoy that. Before he could even think to entertain something like that, he heard something outside. He put his hand up to her, signaling her to be silent. She watched him draw his weapon and creep toward the door. Suddenly, something came through the window and the cabin started to fill with smoke.

He took her hand, as they coughed and the door burst open. David was disarmed and she screamed, as three men pounded their fists into him. They pulled both of them outside the cabin and forced David to his knees, while one of them held her with a vice-like grip. She recognized them as her father's men and saw the leader put his phone to his ear.

"We've got her, Sir," he informed.

"Excellent...take her to the place we discussed," Leopold responded in a pleased tone.

"What do you want us to do with the detective?" he asked.

"Kill him," Leopold said coldly, as the line went dead. The man's smirk sent a chill of fear down her spine.

"You might want to turn away, princess. This is about to get messy," he said, as he cocked his gun.

"No...please don't kill him!" she pleaded.

"Mary...you need to run," David begged her.

"I'm not leaving you," she said, as she shrugged away from one of their captors and sank to her knees in front of them.

"Make your goodbyes quick. Your father is very eager to get you back," the leader hissed.

"Listen to me...I can subdue them long enough for you to run," he whispered.

"And I told you I'm not leaving you...they're going to kill you," she hissed back.

"And I'm okay with dying if it means you're safe. So go…" he pleaded.

"Why? Why would you die for me? Because it's your job?" she asked, saying the last part with bitterness.

"Oh, I think you know that this stopped being just my job a while ago," he replied, as they stared into each other's eyes. The look on her face was utterly broken, as she tenderly caressed his face.

"I...I think I've loved you since the moment I first saw you," she confessed.

"And I'll love you till my last," he confessed in return. Tears slipped down her cheeks, as she pressed her lips to his and oh...the love she felt flow so effortlessly between them was overwhelming. How could it end like this?

"Okay...that's enough goodbyes," one of the men spat, as he pulled them apart. Mary couldn't let him die though, not when she had finally found him. He was everything she had ever hoped for and thought she'd never have. And she'd be damned if she was going to lose him now. With that thought, she jammed her knee into the gut of the one that had pulled her away. David took full advantage of their surprise and knocked his head back into the nose of the one of his right, breaking it. He held his nose, as blood gushed down his face and he decked the third one. Finally the leader got him in a headlock, but he jammed his elbow into his gut, reversing their positions and though he didn't kill lightly, he ended this man by jerking his neck to the side. They didn't waste any time and wait for the others to recover and ran to the truck. He drove them along the dirt path in the woods for several miles, until he parked and they got out, taking to the woods on foot.

"Weaver has another cabin around here...it's only a few miles," he said, as they ran through the woods. The sky opened up on them and downpoured. They were soaked, but the rain would wash away any tire tracks or footprints. They would be safe again for a while.

He pulled her along and they finally found the cabin, before hurrying inside.

"Is it weird that Weaver has all these cabins all over the woods?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, it's weird, but that's Weaver," he replied with a chuckle.

"I'll get a fire going," he said, as he loaded wood into the fireplace and used some lighter fluid to get it going. The cabin was soon filled with an orange glow, as lightning flashed outside with the raging storm.

"I almost lost you…" she said, choking on the words.

"But you saved me instead," he replied, as their lips met again, this time passionately and deeply, as their arms went around each other.

"We need to get out of these wet clothes," he mentioned.

"Mmm...I was thinking the same thing," she answered.

"I...I can turn around while you...and there's blankets," he stammered, but she pulled him by the collar and kissed him again.

"Or you could just undress me while I undress you…" she replied. He swallowed the lump in his throat and kissed her again. Their jackets were first and quickly followed by shirts. She bit her bottom lip, as she divested him of his soaked undershirt and let her eyes drink in his bare flesh. His eyes were locked on her chest as well, as her breasts were only hidden from him by her bra now. Hands continued to roam and divest clothing until there was nothing but skin between them and they were one, making love by the fire over and over again, until they were spent and boneless.

The fire crackled, as morning dawned and they still lay sated and entangled together beneath the blankets, his hand stroking her naked back and her head resting atop his muscled chest. What had started as just a job for him and a nightmare for her had become so much more. They were in love and in some ways, it made everything so much more complicated. But it was a complicated that they wouldn't change for anything.

~*~

The danger they faced was far from over, as the months continued to pass. David and Mary Margaret moved around the country to different safe houses, never staying in one place more than a month. Her father had not given up and had hired some of the best bounty hunters in the world to track them down. So far though, they remained one step ahead.

Rogers finally found the body after several times in dragging the river. But any physical evidence there might have been was washed away, leaving them with nothing still. With nearly nothing to tie Leopold to the death of this unknown man, the charges were dismissed by a judge and the case was considered closed. Her father was going to get away with murder and she would have to continue running. But she could accept that since she was running with the man she loved.

"This isn't a life, you know. Do you realize you could be on the run with me for the rest of your life?" she asked him one day, as they cuddled beneath the bedclothes. They were holed up in another safe house and as usual, their hunger for each other had led to some very passionate lovemaking. He kissed her bare shoulder.

"There is no life for me without you," he answered.

"I'll be a happy man, even if being with you means running for the rest of our lives. You're all I need or want," he replied. She kissed him again at that and she knew nothing else but pure pleasure again when he sank into her depths and loved her again and again.

As it would turn out, there would be one more thing he would realize he needed and wanted, even as unexpected as it would come.

~*~

He looked to her with worry, as she came out of the bathroom in their latest hideaway a few months later. She had been getting sick lately and he was worried about her.

"That's it...I think it's time to find a doctor. I don't care how risky it is," he said.

"I...I think I know what's wrong or rather what's going on," she replied, looking at him with a mixture of fear and awe.

"What is it?" he asked, as he went to her side.

"I haven't had my cycle for months…" she told him and realization started to dawn in his eyes.

"Are you…" he started to say. She nodded.

"I think I'm pregnant," she revealed. She watched the shock on his face slowly spread into a grin. She yelped, as he picked her up and spun her around.

"That's wonderful...a baby…" he breathed in awe, as he put his hands on her belly.

"But David...our lives are not stable! We're always on the run! How can we bring a baby into this? When my father finds out...he'll just hire more people to hunt us down!" she cried, as she teared up.

"Hey...we'll figure this out. We'll find a place where he won't find us and we'll make a life there for us and...our baby," he said, grinning from ear to ear. His smile was contagious and she grinned back.

"There is one thing I want to do…" he said, as he took a ring out of his pocket and she gasped.

"This was my mother's. She gave it to me on her deathbed and told me that true love follows this ring," he told her.

"She was right, because I met you two weeks later," he said.

"David...you don't have to marry me just because I'm pregnant," she replied. But he only grinned.

"I've been wanting to propose to your for weeks...I just was waiting for the right time. This feels like it. I'm not marrying you, because you're pregnant, Mary Margaret. I'd like to marry you, because I love you," he said, as he got down on one knee.

"So...will you marry me?" he asked. She grinned and held out her hand for him.

"What do you think?" she asked, as he slipped the ring on her finger. He stood up and took her in his arms, as their lips met again.

~*~

Unfortunately, just a couple hours later, they would be forced to flee again to escape another bounty hunter. That night, they slept in the truck, after he parked it in a corn field. They were somewhere in the midwest and there wasn't a soul around. It was a warm summer night and they lay in the bed of the truck on blankets, making love under the stars. As they lay entangled together, with her hand idly tracing lines on his chest, he kissed her hair.

"I talked to Rogers earlier," he mentioned. She pressed a kiss to his chest.

"I know...what did he say?" she asked, as she felt his hand on the small of her back.

"He thinks he found a place where we won't be found...or rather Weaver did. He said that town is really small and kind of hidden in the woods. It's so off the beaten path that it doesn't really get visitors," he mentioned.

"Where is it?" she asked eagerly.

"Maine...so we'll be on the road for a few days. But then we might not have to run anymore. The town is small, but there is a hospital and a school. They need a new fifth grade teacher and Weaver said there's a job as deputy to the Sheriff. It's mine if I want it," he mentioned, as he kissed her neck.

"You really think we won't have to run?" she asked, daring to hope.

"Weaver's usually right and he says your father is eventually going to slip up. He's going to get him, my love," he promised. Was it too much to hope for? A new life with her soon to be husband? A new baby, a new job, and no more running? Were they really that close to having everything they wanted? She knew nothing was ever for sure, but she was ready to risk it all with him.

"I think Maine sounds nice," she said, as they kissed again beneath the stars and became lost again in each other.

~*~

The trip to Maine took a few days. They picked up their new identities that Weaver had sent to a pawn shop somewhere in Missouri. They were now David and Mary Swan with a marriage license and all the necessary papers for a new life. They felt the need to exchange vows, so they did so to each other one evening, somewhere in Pennsylvania. And then they found a decent motel to spend their wedding night in. They had traipsed across the country like bandits; bandits in love and the elusive freedom they sought was almost in reach, as they crossed the town line with a sign reading "Entering Storybrooke". Storybrooke. It sounded incredibly quaint and perfectly boring. And somehow, Mary knew they were going to love it there. She gazed out the window of the truck, as they pulled into town. There was a clocktower with a library below, a lake with ducks, a castle shaped playground, and a quaint diner slash bed and breakfast right on Main street. Yes...Storybrooke would be the perfect place to raise their baby and live their lives beyond the reach of her evil father.

There was no need to stay at the bed and breakfast, for Weaver had arranged the rent on a loft apartment for them. The moment they entered, it instantly felt like home. Of course, it helped that the apartment had been filled with baby things from Rogers, Roni, and Weaver. A crib with the most gorgeous crystal unicorn mobile hanging above it and everything else their baby would need. Oh, how she hoped Leopold never found them here, for she just knew she couldn't wait to live the rest of her life here with her husband and their child. She knew life was never that simple and she knew someday they might have to run again. But for now, she had hope that they had found their happy ending, which really wasn't an ending at all. For a new life and a new baby meant for new beginnings. And while she hoped for safety, she knew she no longer had to hope for love. She had found love, the kind of love that would last a lifetime and beyond. She realized at that moment that it didn't matter what they might face in the future, for they could face all of that with what they had and that was eternal love...


	2. All I'll Ever Want or Need

All I'll Ever Want or Need

Leopold Blanchard looked through the various photos, each captured at different times, of his daughter and the man that was protecting her. At least that was what it had started as. But as he looked through the photos, each one after another, they got more intimate. First, it was just his arm around her shoulders or her hand on his chest. Then it was her in his arms and their lips locked. It would seem, if the reports from the bounty hunters were correct, that his daughter and her detective were lovers now. It made him livid, especially when he received the most recent photo. It was taken just weeks ago, just before the trail on them had gone completely cold. Again, Mary was in his arms and there was an unmistakable swell to her stomach. There was no question, especially since his hand was resting on the bump. His daughter was pregnant and they had seemingly managed to disappear. This time, none of the expensive bounty hunters were turning up anything on them and angrily tossed the photos down on his desk, sending them scattering across it.

"This is not over, daughter…" he growled.

~*~

"So...how is everything back there?" Mary asked, as she spooned another bite of ice cream into her mouth, while cradling the phone between her ear and shoulder.

"Oh, you know Hyperion Heights...still pretty much the same, except Victoria Belfry is trying to get me to sell the bar to her," Roni replied.

"Why does Victoria Belfry want to buy the bar?" Mary wondered.

"Well...she's trying to buy up this whole damn neighborhood. For what purpose, no one is sure. But there are whispers…" Roni said, trailing off.

"What kind of whispers?" Mary asked.

"That there is a merger in the works. Between Belfry Industries and Blanchard Enterprises," Roni replied.

"My father is going to merge with Belfry Industries?" Mary asked in disbelief.

"I think it's more like he's acquiring her company. To what end, no one really knows," Roni answered. Mary sighed.

"He's still looking for me too...I was hoping he would give up," she said.

"Your father believes he is entitled to have whatever he wants, like some kind of evil King. He isn't going to stop. Fortunately, Weaver is certain that he won't find where you are this time," Roni said.

"I hope not...we actually really like it here," Mary mentioned.

"Mary Margaret Blanchard as a small town schoolteacher...I'm sure it suits you," Roni said fondly. She smiled.

"It does...and David really likes his job. He gets along really well with Sheriff Graham...and then there's the little cupcake," she gushed, as she stroked her swollen belly.

"I'm so happy for you both. Do you know what it is yet?" Roni asked.

"No...we decided we want to be surprised, but I'm pretty sure it's a girl. David thinks it's a boy, but he's wrong," she replied fondly, as she finished off the carton of ice cream.

"Mother's intuition?" Roni asked.

"Something like that," Mary replied, as she heard the apartment door open and smiled at her husband. He smiled back at her, as he hung his coat up, took his shoes off and took off his holster. She bit her bottom lip, as she watched him. She really liked the way he looked in that holster.

"Hello...Mary?" Roni called into the phone.

"Huh...oh sorry," she apologized.

"Yeah, something tells me David is home if your sudden preoccupation is anything to go by," Roni teased.

"Yeah...sorry, but I can't help it. He just looks so good in that holster," she mentioned.

"Okay then...definitely my cue to sign off," Roni joked. Mary smiled.

"I'll call you tomorrow," she promised, as she hung up the phone, just as David leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"I see our little one has been wanting ice cream again," he teased. She bit her bottom lip and gazed up at him with a dreamy stare.

"I don't know what to say...she loves rocky road. I ate our entire supply again," Mary replied. He chuckled and held up held up a sack, filled with two more cartons of ice cream.

"Good thing I knew I needed to replenish our stock. We can't have our little Prince wanting for anything," he said, as he put it in the freezer.

"Princess…" she corrected.

"Either way...I can't wait to meet him or her," he replied, as he kissed her again. She sighed and watched him make his way behind the curtain where their bedroom was. She often thought about the direction their lives had taken. Just two years ago, she had just graduated college and was ready to find a teaching job. That part of her life had been accomplished, as she loved her job at Storybrooke Elementary. But she hadn't even been entertaining the possibility of a relationship, let alone finding true love. She wondered if he thought about their path.

"Baby...you okay?" he murmured, as he put his arms around her from behind, instinctively resting them on the swell of her stomach.

"Mmm...did you ever imagine this is where we would end up when Weaver assigned you to protect me?" she asked curiously.

"Not exactly...but I certainly wouldn't change it for anything," he replied. She cocked her head to the side, as she looked at him.

"You almost died because of me," she reminded.

"No, I almost died for you...there's a significant difference," he corrected. She parted her lips, as she gazed up at him.

"But this couldn't have been where you saw your life going when you became a cop," Mary said. He shrugged.

"Does anyone ever really end up exactly where they expect?" he asked in return.

"Happy endings aren't always what we expect they will be," she remembered her mother saying once.

"But you were an up and coming detective...in a very large city. I know from what Roni told me that Weaver doesn't just idly pick people for his team. He must have seen something in you to fast track you from beat cop to detective," she replied. He shrugged again.

"I don't know...most of the other detectives are always either sucking up to him or scared of him. But none of that is really my style...I think he likes that," David explained.

"I'm sure he does...but I don't think you're getting what I'm saying. David...you gave up what could have been an incredible career. You probably would have made Captain in no time," she responded. He smiled.

"Maybe...but I didn't really become a cop to climb the ranks and soak in the glory. I became a cop to help people and make a difference. But it was never really my dream," he explained.

"What was?" she asked curiously. He smiled at her and put his hand on her stomach again.

"I always knew that I wanted love...real love and family. You're that dream, Mary...you and our little one. You are a dream that became my reality, so don't think even for a second I would trade this for some job or career. Because this…" he said, as he caressed the place where their child was growling and then cupped her beautiful face in his hand.

"This is everything that I ever wanted and more than I ever thought I'd find," he added. Her eyes filled with tears and she hugged him fiercely. He breathed her in and held her flush against him.

"I love you…" he said. She smiled.

"And I love you…" she replied, as he kissed her tenderly. She moaned and broke the kiss though, as she held her stomach.

"Oh…" she said, as she felt a contraction.

"Are you okay?" he asked in concern. She nodded.

"Just a contraction...they've been off and on today, but pretty far apart," she replied, not really concerned. Until she had a stronger one.

"Ohhh…" she cried and then felt a wetness between her legs.

"Oh God David...I think my water just broke…" she cried.


	3. Her Name is Emma

Chapter 3: Her Name is Emma

Having called ahead, the hospital staff had a wheelchair ready for his wife the moment they pulled up. She cried out in pain, as another contraction hit and he pushed her through the doors, just as Dr. Whale arrived. He really didn't much care for the man or his bedside manner for that matter. But he was the lead doctor and surgeon and the best their small town had to offer. Mary didn't care much for him either, as he was always a bit on the creepy side, but at the moment, Whale was who they had to depend upon to bring their baby into the world.

"He told me I had a strong placenta, which I guess is a good thing, but it came off creepy," he remembered Mary telling Roni over the phone one day. Yeah, if he had to pick a person that he didn't really want between his wife's legs...it was this guy. But again, there wasn't a lot of choice right now.

"Right this way...we have a delivery room ready for you," Whale told him, as he pushed her into the room. He didn't wait for the orderlies and lifted his wife into his arms, before putting her on the bed, which seemed to annoy Whale, but he would be damned if he was going to leave her side in that moment.

"David…" she cried out and he clutched her hand, before pressing a kiss to her hair.

"I'm here, my darling...I'm not going anywhere," he promised.

"I love you…" she uttered and he smiled.

"And I love you," he said, recalling all they had been through up to this moment. He recalled those first few weeks together and the moment when he realized he was in love with her. How he had scolded himself for falling for the woman he was protecting, thinking it could never be. He recalled making love to her for the first time and the night they exchanged vows. He recalled every moment with her and now they were here in this moment, welcoming their first child into the world. He knew her father hadn't given up on finding them, but in that moment, he knew he'd be damned if he ever let that man anywhere near her or their child.

"You're sufficiently dilated. It's time to start pushing," Whale announced. David clutched her hand and she squeezed it, as another contraction hit her.

~*~

Eighteen Months Ago

David was awakened in the dead of night by a scream of terror. He jumped out of bed, shirtless, and grabbed his gun. He burst into Mary's room, ready to fire on whatever intruder he found. But instead, he only found a frightened and sobbing Mary in her bed.

"I'm sorry…It was just a nightmare," she cried. He relaxed and put the gun down.

"It's okay...are you okay?" he asked, though she clearly wasn't, for she was trembling almost violently.

"It was just so real...I don't think I'll ever get that image out of my head," she replied. He nodded.

"The body," he realized and she looked up at him in surprise.

"I'm a cop...I remember the first time I saw a real dead body. It doesn't matter how much training they put you through for it...it still leaves a mark," he replied. She sniffed.

"I knew my father wasn't a very good man...but when he was looking at that man before he saw me, the look in his eyes was terrifying. It was so evil…" she shuddered. He cautiously put his hand on her shoulder. She had grown up rich and he had grown up very poor, but it was clear that having money had not saved her from the evils of the world. This was no spoiled Princess like he thought she might be. Perhaps at one time she had been, but her father's evil had stripped more than just her innocence.

"What he's done and what he tried to do to you...no one should have to go through that. I'm here to protect you though and make sure he doesn't try to finish what he started," he promised. She nodded and he was surprised when she rested her head against his shoulder.

"That happened in the nightmare too...he finished what he started," she squeaked.

"I figured by the way you're frightened," he responded, as he got up and she looked at him questioningly.

"Come on...I'll make you some tea," he suggested, as he offered his hand to her. She took it and he tried not to notice how her nightgown clung to her curves, just as she tried not to notice his shirtless state and how incredibly attractive he was.

"I used to make my mother tea. She would have nightmares a lot after my father died. He was drinking one night and ran his car right off a bridge," he replied, a little bitterly.

"I'm sorry...that's terrible," she offered, as he put the water on the stove. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, noticing not for the first time just how beautiful she was. But he scolded himself internally. In the short time that he had been protecting her, he had come to care about her and couldn't believe he was falling into that trap already. He couldn't fall in love with her. Not only was it against the rules and result in getting himself reassigned, he doubted she'd ever see him that way. The water boiled and he served the tea, as he sat down across from her. They quietly sipped at their tea together, as they both secretly wrestled with their growing feelings.

~*~

Present Day

Mary screamed in pain, as another contraction stormed through her. The nurse had provided David with a cool cloth, which he dabbed on her forehead.

"The head is crowning. The next couple pushes will be really big, but then it will be all over," Whale instructed. Mary looked at him and he gazed back, as the love passed between them.

"She's almost here…" she murmured. He smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Still insisting it's a girl?" he teased.

"Mmm...I know it is. Mother's intuition," she responded.

"You know if we have a little Princess that I'm doomed, right?" he teased and she giggled.

"She'll have you wrapped around her pinky the moment she looks at you," she mentioned.

"Like her mother," he agreed, as another contraction hit and she screamed, as she pushed again.

~*~

Sixteen months ago

"So...in other words, we're back to square one," David said, as he talked to Rogers on the phone.

"I'm sorry mate...we just can't seem to keep witnesses alive. Leopold Blanchard has the deepest pockets in this city. Anyone that knows anything either won't talk or ends up dead or missing," Rogers replied. David sighed.

"I know...but as long as I can keep him from getting to Mary, that's what matters," he said, not realizing the slip until it was too late.

"Oh really? You sound like you've gotten cozy," Rogers said, as David could hear the amusement in his voice.

"Stop it...it's not like that," David protested.

"Uh huh...but you'd like it to be," Rogers said knowingly.

"No...I want to protect her, because her father is a sick man," David refuted.

"Easy mate...it's only natural that you're starting to feel something for her. She's beautiful, kind, and you spend a lot of time with her. I daresay if it were me, I'd certainly be falling for the fair Miss Blanchard as well. I'd certainly make my move," Rogers teased.

"Hey...you most certainly wouldn't make a move! She's not just some conquest...she deserves more than that," he said angrily and Rogers chuckled.

"Easy mate...just proving my point to you, but it's worse than I thought," Rogers mentioned. David rolled his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded to know.

"You're in love, mate," Rogers said.

"I am not!" David protested, but Rogers only laughed.

"You are...you are head over heels for her and in deep shit, mate," his partner countered. David sighed.

"You going to tattle on me and get me reassigned?" he asked worriedly.

"Hell no...we're partners and Detective Rogers is no sell out, you know that. Besides, I daresay I'd not trust anyone to protect her more than a man that loves her," Rogers replied.

"What the hell am I going to do?" he asked, a bit of fear in his voice.

"Tell her," Rogers advised.

"I can't do that...what if she doesn't feel the same? Then things will be weird between us," he replied.

"Fine...do things the hard way and suffer in silence then. But I think you need to ask yourself a very important question," Rogers said.

"And what's that?" David asked.

"What if she does feel the same?" he asked.

~*~

Mary screamed in pain and then fell back against him, as he dabbed her forehead again.

"We're almost there," Whale said.

"I'm so tired…" Mary cried and he kissed her forehead.

"I know, my darling...but one more push and our little Princess is here…" he soothed.

"I love you…" she uttered tearfully. He kissed her.

"I love you…" he said, as she bared down for the final push and screamed, as another contraction slammed into her.

~*~

Mary lay sated and half atop him, as they bathed in the afterglow of lovemaking in front of the crackling fire. She looked up at him, green eyes full of love, and his blue eyes shined back with the same. After the harrowing ordeal with her father's men finding them, confessions of love came and then naturally the need to express that love physically came next.

"I love you...and I almost didn't get to tell you…" she whispered.

"Mmm...I know. I love you too and we made it," he replied, as he pressed his lips to hers in a tender kiss.

"He's going to come after you...even if those men didn't live to tell him, he's going to find out about us. He'll want you dead," Mary fretted, referring to her father.

"I don't care...I'll never let him touch you or take you from me," he promised fiercely.

"Being with me possibly means running for the rest of our lives," she warned.

"And being without you is no life I want," he replied. She cuddled against him and shivered, as his hand slid along her naked back.

"What about Weaver? If he finds out...won't he reassign you?" she wondered.

"I don't know...Weaver is hard to read and even if he does, I'll quit. I'm not leaving you or trusting someone else with your life," he told her. She looked into his eyes and nodded.

"Me either," she agreed.

"Besides, Rogers already knows and he hasn't said anything. And he won't," he replied.

"Rogers knows?" she asked in surprise. He winced.

"He kind of guessed...he knows me pretty well. I've kind of been in love with you for a while," he confessed. She tilted her head to the side.

"How long is a while?" she asked curiously.

"Probably since you first walked into the station that night. Of course, I was in denial and then Rogers pointed it out to me a few months ago. Then there was some more denial," he replied. She grinned and kissed him soundly.

"What about you?" he asked curiously. She smiled and bit her bottom lip.

"Probably from the beginning too...I don't know, I just felt a connection with you. But I think I knew for sure that first night I had a nightmare and you comforted me," she replied. He kissed her hair. He couldn't promise her that she wouldn't have any more nightmares, but he could promise that he would be there to hold her after.

"I think we might have been the last ones to know. Roni was pretty insistent that I was in love with you long before I admitted it to myself," she mentioned. He chuckled.

"We're quite a pair," he quipped.

"We are...all those months that we could have been doing...this…" she purred, as she kissed his neck. He shuddered at her ministrations and she gasped, as his hands wandered. She looked up and he smirked.

"Guess we could always make up for lost time," he suggested. She giggled, as he rolled her onto her back and then her giggles became cries of passion…

~*~

A cry pierced the air, as the doctor cradled their newborn and the nurses quickly cleaned her off. Mary and David stared in awe, at the tiny, wriggling baby.

"Congratulations...it is indeed a girl," Whale announced, as the nurse placed her in Mary's arms.

"David…" she choked out, as she looked at his face, as he continued to stare at their baby in awe.

"She's perfect…" he uttered and Mary sniffed, as more tears escaped her eyes.

"Do you have a name picked out?" the nurse asked. They had discussed a few names here and there, for both genders, but hadn't nailed anything down. But at that moment, her name simply came to Mary and she blurted it out.

"Emma…" she said and he looked at her. A grin spread on his face.

"Emma…" he agreed, as she beamed at him and then looked at the nurse.

"Her name is Emma," Mary told her. David smiled at her and kissed her tenderly, before pressing a kiss to their new baby girl's forehead. At that moment, he couldn't imagine being happier...


End file.
